Urgal
. Source: Image property of 20th Century Fox.]] Urgals were a race of sentient creatures inhabiting Alagaësia. Forced by Durza into the service of Galbatorix, they were considered evil by most humans, but were not inherently so. What they lacked in intelligence, they made up with brute force and exceptional fighting skills; they were the expendable "shock troops" of Galbatorix's army. The Urgal language was a simple, guttural language; only a few phrases were known to outsiders, and all of them were related to war and fighting. Physical description Urgals were roughly humanoid in appearance, with greyish skin, bowed legs, and thick arms. They had yellow, piggish eyes, and a pair of long, twisted horns protruding from above their ears. Urgals could be anywhere from seven to nine feet tall; an Urgal's height depended on its species. In the film, they appeared as primitive humans. History Early days The Urgals originally came from the same land as the elves. They followed the Elves over the sea to Alagaësia, "like ticks seeking for blood", in the words of Brom. They were looked down on by the other races, for their distasteful appearance and for their love of warfare. During the Dragon Rider era, a group of Urgals ambushed the Rider Galbatorix and killed his dragon with a poison dart. This triggered the Dragon War and the rise of the Empire. Rider War ]]. Just prior to the Rider War Durza the Shade, one of Galbatorix's most trusted servants, cast a binding spell upon the Urgal race, forcing them to serve the Empire against their wishes. Urgals fought in many major battles during the war. They captured both Arya and Eragon. They brought both their captives to the fortress city of Gil'ead. Later, when Eragon killed Durza, during the Battle under Farthen Dûr the spell was broken and the Urgals free. The Urgals began to detest the Empire for the sake of the wrong which had been done to them. The hatred became so strong that a group of Urgals allied themselves with the Varden at the Battle of The Burning Plains, hoping to exact vengeance for the wrong done to them. Culture The Urgal culture was centered around warfare; the societal ranks of both males and females were decided by their ability to kill. Urgals were a tribal race, and each tribe was under the authority of a warchief. These tribes often fought each other as well as human settlement or cities. Urgals were known to fight both alone and in groups. Because their culture was based on killing, they did not focus on comfort. Their cites and towns were often underkept and unclean. This was yet another reason humans looked down on them. Just as humans hated Urgal, Urgals hated humans. Urgal legends portrayed the human race as evil and corrupt. This age long hatred led to many wars, with heroes and villains on both sides. Two ranks in Urgal society were the rank of Nar (noble) and Herndal (female leader). Individuals who bore this titles were treated with great respect. The Kull leader Garzhvog had the title Nar. Known Urgals * Garzhvog, a Kull leader who joins the Varden. * Tarok, a Urgal commander. * Gashz, a Urgal commander. Species '' webcomic.]] There were two subspecies of Urgal mentioned in the books: *'Urgal:' The most common Urgal species, these beings were the smallest of the two kinds, yet were still stronger and more deadly then the average human. *'Kull:' The tallest and more powerful of the Urgal species, the Kulls stood nine feet tall on average, and had legs like tree trunks. At the Battle of The Burning Plains, it was a tribe of Kulls that joined the Varden and served as Eragon's bodyguards. In the Eragon Game Boy Advance game *'Ambusher:' Ranged warrior that is easy to defeat *'Archer:' Similar to ambushers *'Axeman:' Axe wielding Urgals. *''Berserker:'' Berserkers are not really a species, they were more like an advanced job undertaken by Urgals. They cared little or nothing for themselves and their own safety, but focused solely upon getting their job done. *'Bone Caster:' Tougher cloaked shamans that can use combustion or fire *'Captain:' Nearly impossible to defeat Kull *'Dusters:' The toughest and largest enemy *'Flesh Render X2:' Simple pairs of Urgals *'Gaia Crusher:' Another tough enemy *'Immortal:' Hard to kill giant *'Pikeman:' Pike wielding cousins of axeman *'Shaman:' Tall spell weavers that either meditate or use Brisingr *'Shockman:' Tougher Urgals that come in pairs with axeman *'Warrior:' Very basic troops In The Nintendo DS Game *'Warrior:' Normal Urgal. Some Have Weapons, But Some Fistfight. *'Archer:' These Urgals Shoot Arrows. Appear To Be More Slender Than Normal Warriors. *'Kull:' Basically Like Normal Kull, They Always Fistfight. *'Unnamed Bosslike Urgals:' Wield Double Swords. They Send Vultures That Are The Only Flying Enemies, Except For The Beast. *'Kull Bosses:' Kull Bosses That, Unlike Other Kull, Wield Weapons. Urgal language All the Urgal species shared the same language. Many Urgal words were deemed unpronounceable by other races. Translations *''Ahgrat ukmar'' - it is done *''Drajl'' - spawn of maggots *''Ithrö Zhâda'' - Rebel Doom *''Kaz jtierl trazhid'' - Do not attack *''Nar'' - a gender-neutral title of respect *''Otrag bagh'' - Circle him *''Ushnark'' - father Other Movie Version In the Eragon movie the Urgals do not have the horns, grey skin, or yellow eyes described in the books. Instead, they simply resemble large, brutish humans covered in warpaint with red, cat-like eyes. Original concept art showed Urgals almost exactly as described in the book, but director Stefen Fangmeier said that it either would have to be a lot of make up or a lot of money. He also said he wanted to do them a little different. When the Urgals were established he was considering placing CGI horns on them but in the end he said it wasn't necessary to do so. The change of the Urgals made some fans considerably angry. Game Version In the Eragon video game there are three species of Urgals. The Urgals resemble the Urgals from the movie. However, the game's Kulls more closely fit the description of Urgals given in the book. The Berserkers were also introduced in the game. Category:Species es:Úraglo